Plastic Fans

[brighton_tom]

With all this talk of ticket allocations and the whole "me first" attitude towards securing a seat at the Villa FA Cup tie, the term 'plastic fans' has been banded around. It seems that people will brand you a plastic fan if you're not a season ticket holder or away member etc etc...

I travel from central london and go to roughly 10 home games, and about 4 or 5 away games every season, and have done so since about 1998. But in all this time i have never been an away member, blue member, season ticket holder etc. Does this make me a plastic fan?

My point is that although i do hate the kind of 'supporters' who will only go to the big games, never visit withdean, and sit at home all season rather than actually supporting the team they claim to be a fan of... And I do fully believe that STH's and blue/away members should be first in the queue for Villa tickets. We will need the type of supporters who can only make it to a handful of games each season when we are at Falmer. So this negativety towards non season tickets holders or away members isnt very productive...

 

[Martinf]

Agree Tom. I served my time in the trenches, visiting over 50 grounds supporting the mighty Albion but these days (married with kids etc) I go to about ten home games and only one or two away games. I'm not a STH or a blue member but I do not consider myself a plastic fan either.

 

[John Byrnes Mullet]

I am going to get used to plastic fans, they will have to be around if we ever become a force again once we get Falmer.

 

[Beach Hut]

It is not a problem so long as the ticket allocation is followed correctly as agreed by the club.

Anyway it looks like loads will be available.

 

[clippedgull]

People choose what films to watch at the cinema, where to go for a day out etc etc.

Therefore they should be entitled to watch whatever game they want.

As a season ticket holder, I welcome every bit of revenue that 'occasional attendees ' bring.

 

[Billy the Fish]

There's no such thing as plastic fans when you support brighton and won't be unless we reach the prem and that won't happen any time soon. Anyone who gets all 'superfan' and calls another albion fan plastic is a sad twat.

 

[Rookie]

But what you have described isn't a plastic fan though is it. A plastic fan is someone who turned up to Cardiff then not again until Spurs followed by West Ham and has never set foot in the Withdean or seen a Brighton football league game. Personally don't care because the more of us there are the more noise and the better support for the team

 

[Timbo]

i will be at villa park and ive not seen the albion for years. anyone who has a problem with that can do one.

 

[brighton_tom]

I just feel we should be a bit more welcoming to new supporters, or people who can only attend a few games each season. How will we grow as a club if we hound out all non season tickets holders....

But if the club sets out a fair order for people buying tickets to the Villa game then this should not be a problem, there should be plenty of tickets. We could end up taking an army of supporters!

 

[Spider]

Agree Tom. I served my time in the trenches, visiting over 50 grounds supporting the mighty Albion but these days (married with kids etc) I go to about ten home games and only one or two away games. I'm not a STH or a blue member but I do not consider myself a plastic fan either.

Each person knows whether they would be branded a 'plastic fan' as everyone has different situations which may mean they can't attend games as regularly as they'd like. However, I believe there's more people than would admit that find the idea that there'll be a lot of people at the Villa game who didn't even know we played in Birmingham the weekend before a little annoying.

Obviously we need to attract as many fans as possible to be successful, so it would be stupid for those more die-hard to reject those who don't go to many games whether due to financial situation/location or apathy. I've always thought of the term plastic fan as more targeted at Premiership armchair fans, as surely anyone who would travel to Birmingham to watch their local club is still 100 times better than a supposed ManUre fan who has seen one home match in the Carling Cup.

Luckily though, we have a system in place which allows the people who put the most into the club (certainly financially) a garanteed ticket, and those who have the foresight (and therefore presumably prolonged enthusiasm) to join up early a likely ticket. There will be a few exceptions but in general most people who should get a ticket will get one before someone who hasn't attended a game yet this season.

 

[Smithy]

I dont have a problem with it. The more people we take to games like the Villa one, the better. Hopefully we can sell our allocation and it will be a cracking atmos.

 

[Giraffe]

So called "plastic fans" will make or break this club come Falmer. I know of us probably 50 people who would go and see the Seagulls a handful of times a season once we are Falmer in a proper stadium. They will be the ones who will effectively convert our team from a league one side into a premiership side one day. Hug them, don't criticise them.

 

[Prodigal Son]

If they are coming to cheer on "The Albion", welcome one and all.

Let's hope that they like what they see and become season ticket holders at

 

[Gerbil]

It is not a problem so long as the ticket allocation is followed correctly as agreed by the club.

Anyway it looks like loads will be available.

Don't forget to put your aplication in on time.



cause you like to organised for these big games don't you

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

Don't forget to put your aplication in on time.



cause you like to organised for these big games don't you

Christ, PLEASE let him get one this time..West Ham...*shudderstothink*

 

[xenophon]

I know Albion STH's who never go to away games. I know awayday lads who never go to Withdean "because it's shit"

On whom may I pin my "plastic fan" badge on, hmmmm?

 

[fleet]

we need the wider fan base to fill Falmer - more the merrier

 

[Vatican Citys No.2 Keeper]

Whilst my turnout at the Albion has never always been great due to my dad having a season ticket and me not and him now being based in Canada, up until 2008 I did at least 5 games a year, however with following Worthing and now being at Uni I find it hard to get to Albion games, however have done yeovil and saints away this season, along with other league 1 and JPT games.

So I wouldn't consider myself a plastic however albion are my second team now, but I will do my best being a white member to get a ticket for the game!

 

[Taybha]

never had a season ticket in my life ,and can count on 1 hand the amount of games ive wanted to go to but couldnt either get a ticket or get in,where theres a will theres a way. Got no problem with people who havnt been for yonks wanting a ticket for the villa game,its going to be a pain for them however collecting thier stubbs for the brentford and walsall games they will need to be considered for a villa ticket,

 

[strings]

It is not a problem so long as the ticket allocation is followed correctly as agreed by the club.

I just feel we should be a bit more welcoming to new supporters, or people who can only attend a few games each season. How will we grow as a club if we hound out all non season tickets holders....

But if the club sets out a fair order for people buying tickets to the Villa game then this should not be a problem, there should be plenty of tickets. We could end up taking an army of supporters!

So called "plastic fans" will make or break this club come Falmer. I know of us probably 50 people who would go and see the Seagulls a handful of times a season once we are Falmer in a proper stadium. They will be the ones who will effectively convert our team from a league one side into a premiership side one day. Hug them, don't criticise them.

I agree with all of the above. Converting casual fans will be an important part of filling Falmer. I live in Wolverhampton and the number of old gold shirts around town has easily doubled since I first moved here in 2003. Wolves have done a fantastic job of pulling in fans from the outlying areas and getting into Schools to ensure that local children become Wolves fans and don't end up supporting Villa. They also have four specially designated 'family football' matches each season (2 adult and 2 kids tickets for £40 for a league game) as well as a ladies day (cheaper ticket for the ladies) and a students day just after freshers week (cheaper tickets for Uni of Wolverhampton students, followed up by an email to all the students that attended, offering them a cut-price home shirt) - they all get the fans in. I recon we could learn a lot from their marketing department, although the club already do a heck of a lot to encouage families to attend Withdean.

Also, a lot of the casual fans will put money into the club in other ways, by buying the shirt for example (an essential item if you are a Sussex exile).